Note: The sheep of ancient Rome wandered the hills around the Tiber River. The sheep needed salt and so the shepherds began evaporating the ocean water from the mouth of the river. Soon a thriving salt business was founded and these once-humble shepherds became entrepreneurs, exporting salt to the Greek settlements to the south and the Etruscans to the north. This salt trade set a foundation for the establishment of the Roman empire. A major road of Rome is still called Via Salaria, the Salt Road.